Google’s AI integrated Allo to take on WhatsApp?

Internet search giant, Google, launched its new instant messaging and Duo video calling app- Allo. It comes with Google Assistant integrated which can simplify small tasks and provide convenience while chatting or sharing files with a contact.

Last month, the company officially launched Duo, which shortly crossed 10 million downloads in just a month. Following up, Google has now officially launched Allo for everyone.

For those who are unaware, Allo is a standalone messaging app that has a built-in search engine. It has Google Assistant integration and uses the phone number as primary user identification method. Users can also link their Google account to the app.

Allo comes with innumberable emojis and custom stickers catering to different users based on their region. One of the important features is the aforementioned built-in search, which allows users to initiate Google searches by just typing @google followed by the search query. This means that users don’t have to leave the chat window for searching information relevant to the current conversation.

Google Allo comes with some interesting features and is likely to give competition to WhatsApp and Hike. However, the app lacks features like document sharing and calling, which are there in WhatsApp.

In related news, Google is rumoured to be planning on introducing audio calling support in Duo app.

According to Amit Fulay, Google’s products lead of communication, “The voice calling feature is “coming soon” to Duo video calling app.” The news came via Fulay’s Google+ post where he replied to a user asking about “Any way to make it audio only call? Need is with roaming data.